Jacob deGrom Rookie of the Year? His 3 biggest competitors for the award

The beginning of Jacob deGrom's major-league career has progressed from being impressive to finding him in the conversation for NL Rookie of the Year and finally all the way to seeing him become the front-runner for the award.

The righthander is coming off one of his finest outings yet, which saw him take a no-hitter into the seventh inning of a 4-2 Mets victory on Saturday. With a standout stat line (6-5, 2.77 ERA, 90 SO, 1.22 WHIP in 941/3 innings), the 26-year-old's early returns have fans buzzing about his future in the rotation.

Adding the league's top rookie award after the season isn't a lock, though. Here's a look at a few talented young players who could still make a case for the honor over deGrom, who will make his 16th big league start Thursday against the Nationals, during the season's final eight weeks.

Chase Anderson: Diamondbacks

Anderson shares many similarities with deGrom. He's a 26-year-old righthanded starting pitcher with a decent win-loss record (6-4) but terrific numbers through his first 13 major league starts -- 3.19 ERA, 63 strikeouts and a 1.30 WHIP through 731/3 innings. (Credit: Getty Images / Norm Hall)

Anderson shares many similarities with deGrom. He's a 26-year-old righthanded starting pitcher with a decent win-loss record (6-4) but terrific numbers through his first 13 major league starts -- 3.19 ERA, 63 strikeouts and a 1.30 WHIP through 731/3 innings. (Credit: Getty Images / Norm Hall)

Billy Hamilton

Anderson shares many similarities with deGrom. He's a 26-year-old righthanded starting pitcher with a decent win-loss record (6-4) but terrific numbers through his first 13 major league starts -- 3.19 ERA, 63 strikeouts and a 1.30 WHIP through 731/3 innings. (Credit: Getty Images / Jamie Sabau)

Anderson shares many similarities with deGrom. He's a 26-year-old righthanded starting pitcher with a decent win-loss record (6-4) but terrific numbers through his first 13 major league starts -- 3.19 ERA, 63 strikeouts and a 1.30 WHIP through 731/3 innings. (Credit: Getty Images / Jamie Sabau)

Jeurys Familia

Could deGrom's teammate in the bullpen beat him out? It's unlikely, but the 24-year-old boasts a sterling 1.96 ERA in 55 innings. The righthander has kept the ball in the park -- just one home run allowed -- and is fanning batters at a rate of 7.5 per nine innings. (Credit: Getty Images / Elsa)

Could deGrom's teammate in the bullpen beat him out? It's unlikely, but the 24-year-old boasts a sterling 1.96 ERA in 55 innings. The righthander has kept the ball in the park -- just one home run allowed -- and is fanning batters at a rate of 7.5 per nine innings. (Credit: Getty Images / Elsa)